Minister repeats tech education, free healthcare mantra

Punjab Minister for Ushar and Zakat Malik Nadeem Kamran has said that the Punjab government has been pursuing a comprehensive strategy to provide technical education to youth and free medical facilities to the needy patients. He said that funds were being provided to the technical training institutions and government hospitals in this regard.

The minister claimed that Rs27.75 million had been provided to institutions in Sahiwal division to materialise the vision of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz.

Malik Nadeem Kamran was addressing a function held to distribute cheques to Principal of vocational training institutions and Medical Superintendents of hospitals the other day.

Sahiwal DCO Dr Sajid Mahmood Chohan, Additional Commissioner Nasir Jamal Hotiana and heads of all institutions were also present on the occasion. The minister said that the government was providing technical education to students to help them stand on their feet and play their role in the national development.

He emphasised that transparency should be maintained in the distribution of Zakat funds and self respect of each needy person should not be hurt. He informed that the Punjab government was providing funds worth Rs250 million to 39 hospitals across the province to improve healthcare facilities for the poor. Similarly Rs900 million are being spent on 166 vocational institutes to provide different skills the youth.

MMAP wants PEC abolition: Muttahida Mahaz Asataza Pakistan (MMAP) Vice chairman Rana Abdul Sattar stressed the need for abolition of Punjab Examination Commission (PEC) forthwith, saying that sustaining PEC any more will be injustice with students of Class 5, and 8th and wastage of public money and time.

He demanded that the Class 5 and 8th examination should be conducted at district level instead of provincial level to end inconvenience to the students and their parents. He alleged that ill-planned and imprudent policies of the Punjab government had ruined the education system, adding that syllabus for primary classes should also be reduced. The MMAP head said that six books had been prescribed for nursery class students, which was more than a burden on minor children and affect their mental and physical growth.